Which R.L club has biggest crowds per capita ?

The club where Eurovision isn't a dirty word. A waltz through the leopard skin lined world of Tom Jones, Bert Kampfert and Burt Bacharach. Step out to the sound of the happy hammond and swing to the seductive sounds of the samba.

Featherstone's record crowd is 17, 300 odd, when the census for the area showed a population around that time of I think 14,500, so historically they have attracted more than the entire population to watch. The match was v Stains, if you're interested.

1959, when crowds were at their peak. Good chance there was a very large away contingency, this is the sort of thing that makes it difficult to work out.

Open Rugby did a list years ago and I think Featherstone was by far the winner. The article recognised the difficulties in drawing the boundaries. I'd dig the article out but it would take me ages to find it - I wish I'd indexed OR as I bought it!

I think it was an Open Rugby issue from 1981 or 1982. If I recall correctly, Hull came out poorly as did Sydney. Fulham came out quite well as they used the figures for the LB of Hammersmith and Fulham, not London as a whole.

1959, when crowds were at their peak. Good chance there was a very large away contingency, this is the sort of thing that makes it difficult to work out.

The crowd was actually 17.731 and in the history books they say it was all ticket and Saints sent loads back, remember in the 1950s traveling from Lancashire to Yorkshire wasnt that easy so the away support was minimal. Rovers have topped the population many times

The crowd was actually 17.731 and in the history books they say it was all ticket and Saints sent loads back, remember in the 1950s traveling from Lancashire to Yorkshire wasnt that easy so the away support was minimal. Rovers have topped the population many times

there was a lot from Warrington made it to Odsal.

You also have to remember that in those days special trains would be put on for football/rugby games, when people think back about transport they very often forget that we had a far better rail network than now.

As an aside.Which history book are you quoting please. (nowt to do with this discussion for my own info).

Someone once posted on here (may have been Kenny Tiger) that most people on the terraces at Castleford aren't from Castleford. (sorry Kenny if it wasn't you.)

Castleford is not that big a place. But for the surrounding areas, Ledsham, Ledston, Allerton Bywater, Kippax, Methley,South Milford, Sherburn in Elmet, Monk Fryston (all of which are in Leeds MDC BTW) Castleford is their main shopping town, and centre. They are today all large residential areas, and presumably supply large numbers of Cas's crowd.

"This is a very wealthy country, money is no object" D. Cameron February 2014

Castleford is not that big a place. But for the surrounding areas, Ledsham, Ledston, Allerton Bywater, Kippax, Methley,South Milford, Sherburn in Elmet, Monk Fryston (all of which are in Leeds MDC BTW) Castleford is their main shopping town, and centre. They are today all large residential areas, and presumably supply large numbers of Cas's crowd.

They are very adjacent to Castleford. You only need to turn right at the end of Wheldon Road, go over the two bridges and you're in Leeds - politically. Speaking as someone who worked in Cas for 10 years, most of those living in the places I named treat Cas as the place to go out for a meal, or a drink, or to shop, or to watch sport. The centre of Cas is much larger than that which would be needed for a town of its size.

"This is a very wealthy country, money is no object" D. Cameron February 2014

They are very adjacent to Castleford. You only need to turn right at the end of Wheldon Road, go over the two bridges and you're in Leeds - politically. Speaking as someone who worked in Cas for 10 years, most of those living in the places I named treat Cas as the place to go out for a meal, or a drink, or to shop, or to watch sport. The centre of Cas is much larger than that which would be needed for a town of its size.

I don't care what the eating habits are of the people who live there, if I asked someone who lived there where are you from would they be more likely to say Castleford or Leeds (presuming they didn't say 'our street').

I don't care what the eating habits are of the people who live there, if I asked someone who lived there where are you from would they be more likely to say Castleford or Leeds (presuming they didn't say 'our street').

People from Kippax consider themselves from Castleford even though the postal code and phone numbers are both Leeds. When someone says "lets go into town" they mean Castleford and not Leeds.

Their are a fair few Cas fans in Garforth, Micklefield and Swillington as well, all of which are in the Leeds district.

People from Kippax consider themselves from Castleford even though the postal code and phone numbers are both Leeds. When someone says "lets go into town" they mean Castleford and not Leeds.

Their are a fair few Cas fans in Garforth, Micklefield and Swillington as well, all of which are in the Leeds district.

I always think that Cas draw most of their support obvously from Cas (Whitwood, Airedale, Glasshoughton) but mainly after that from north of the Aire.Fev on the other hand draw mainly from Ponte, Knottingley, Ferrybridge, Ackworth Purston Streethouse, Hemsworth, South Kirkby (where my family come from orignially) I think Sharlston's a bit borderline between Fev and Wakey.Wakey again obviously from Wakefield, but Horbury, Wrenthorpe, Alverthorpe, Outwood, Lofthouse, Stanley, Normanton but then to areas bordering on Barnsley like Brierley, Ryhill, and Royston.

"This is a very wealthy country, money is no object" D. Cameron February 2014

I always think that Cas draw most of their support obvously from Cas (Whitwood, Airedale, Glasshoughton) but mainly after that from north of the Aire.Fev on the other hand draw mainly from Ponte, Knottingley, Ferrybridge, Ackworth Purston Streethouse, Hemsworth, South Kirkby (where my family come from orignially) I think Sharlston's a bit borderline between Fev and Wakey.Wakey again obviously from Wakefield, but Horbury, Wrenthorpe, Alverthorpe, Outwood, Lofthouse, Stanley, Normanton but then to areas bordering on Barnsley like Brierley, Ryhill, and Royston.

Good god this is hard work.

Wigan, as I stated, have regular supporters who turn up from Birmingham, Bristol and Oxford, but you don't count these places as Wigan. Wigan also draw from Standish, Pemberton, Hindley which people would tend to bracket as Wigan.

Now try again, are the places you mention where teams draw support from considered geographicaly part of those towns or not.

Wigan, as I stated, have regular supporters who turn up from Birmingham, Bristol and Oxford, but you don't count these places as Wigan. Wigan also draw from Standish, Pemberton, Hindley which people would tend to bracket as Wigan.

Now try again, are the places you mention where teams draw support from considered geographicaly part of those towns or not.

You also have to remember that in those days special trains would be put on for football/rugby games, when people think back about transport they very often forget that we had a far better rail network than now.

As an aside.Which history book are you quoting please. (nowt to do with this discussion for my own info).

The game is highlighted in 2 books Featherstone Rovers 50 greatest matches and Featherstone Rovers RLFC (history of) both by Ron Bailey. My father in-law was at the game and he told me the away support was minimal as it was the year after (i think it was) when the same teams met in the same round and there was over 15k at the game a game that was played in a snow blizzard. After that match the groundsmen collected 60 odd empty whisky bottles from the terraces (the youth of today eh).

You cant really compare a challenge cup final replay in the warmth of May to a 1/4 final at Fev in freezing February. There will of been no special train from saint helens to fev for these games i would imagine.Certain people wont like it but im afraid Rovers have had several crowds bigger than the population and with limited away support, we can only appologise for this

Wigan, as I stated, have regular supporters who turn up from Birmingham, Bristol and Oxford, but you don't count these places as Wigan. Wigan also draw from Standish, Pemberton, Hindley which people would tend to bracket as Wigan.

Now try again, are the places you mention where teams draw support from considered geographicaly part of those towns or not.

What do you call geographically? Geographically, Ledston, Ledsham, Kippax, Allerton Bywater, and Methley are very adjacent to Cas. Some almost within walking distance of Cas town centre, but politically they are in Leeds. Standish is in Wigan, Coppull is in Lancashire. Does Copull count as Wigan's area?

"This is a very wealthy country, money is no object" D. Cameron February 2014

I think it was an Open Rugby issue from 1981 or 1982. If I recall correctly, Hull came out poorly as did Sydney. Fulham came out quite well as they used the figures for the LB of Hammersmith and Fulham, not London as a whole.

As has been said, a pretty meaningless table of statistics - but a bit of fun. I don't know if it would be possible to replicate this for the present day as I don't know if the population figures are easily available on a town basis.

Wigan, as I stated, have regular supporters who turn up from Birmingham, Bristol and Oxford, but you don't count these places as Wigan. Wigan also draw from Standish, Pemberton, Hindley which people would tend to bracket as Wigan.

Now try again, are the places you mention where teams draw support from considered geographicaly part of those towns or not.

I do, it undermines Wigan's argument.

It is pathetic that Wigan with a population of 4.6 million* attract such small crowds. Throw them out of Super League!

*Yes, that does include the metropolitan area of Birmingham, Alabama. What of it?